Defensive lineman Austin Johnson was the first of the draft-eligible Penn State Nittany Lions to be selected in the 2016 NFL Draft. Johnson, taken with the 43rd pick, will be suiting up for the Tennessee Titans with former Nittany Lion DaQuan Jones. Eight picks later, the New York Jets took former Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg to add to their depth at the quarterback position.
Austin Johnson
A Galloway, NJ native, Johnson started all 13 games for Penn State this fall and finished with 78 total tackles, 15 of those for loss. With six and a half sacks, the redshirt-junior was able to improve on his 2014 All-Big Ten honorable mention to, in 2015, be named to the second team All-Big Ten by the media and the third team All-Big Ten by the coaches.
“With his size, strength and great footwork, Austin has the ability to fit a 3-4 or a 4-3 defensive scheme, which not a lot of guys can do. I can see him being a fantastic contributor for the Titans. It’s also great to see him reunited with his good friend and former teammate DaQuan Jones,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said in a release.
Johnson took to Twitter to share his excitement:
Happy as ever to be a Titan especially with my boy @RiDQulous_98
— Austin Johnson (@AJohn15) April 30, 2016
Christian Hackenberg
A wild card in the quarterback pool, it was unclear in what round Hackenberg would be selected. The Palmyra, VA native heard his name called in Round Two as the Jets took the Penn State product with the 51st overall pick.
Hackenberg will head to New York after setting the record books ablaze while under center for the Nittany Lions. The junior quarterback left Penn State with records for passing yards (8,457), touchdowns (48), 300-yard passing games (9), 200-yard passing games (21), attempts (1,235), completions (693) and total offensive yards (8,215).
The record-setting quarterback will likely compete for the starting position in training camp — especially with contract negotiations between New York and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick stalling — and will join former teammate Deion Barnes as a member of the Jets roster.
Franklin was all praise for his former quarterback, saying, “He bled blue and white during his three years at Penn State, and we are thankful for his contributions to the program and community. He has all the tools to be successful at the next level, and I know he has a bright future ahead of him with the Jets.”
Hackenberg took to his Sqor account to show his excitement in being drafted by the Jets:
A three-year starter, Hackenberg’s first career start came at MetLife Stadium, home of the Jets. In that start (against Syracuse), Hackenberg went 22-31 for 278 yards and two touchdowns in the victory over the Orange.
Image credit: AP Photo/Darron Cummings
